CRAEF scholarship qualifications and procedure

The application deadline is April 15 for undergraduate students and high school seniors.

The California Restaurant Association Educational Foundation (CRAEF) is proud to present the 2011 CRAEF scholarship application. The application deadline for both undergraduate and high school seniors is April 15. All materials must be mailed to CRAEF and postmarked by the deadline date.

CRAEF scholarships are competitive and awarded to qualified applicants based on an application, an essay, previous experience and an interview. Incomplete or late applications will not be considered. Top applicants will be contacted for an interview with the CRAEF scholarship panel, comprised of educators and industry leaders, by e-mail or phone six to eight weeks after the deadline. Scholarships will be awarded in two payments following proof of enrollment in two semesters. The first half of the scholarship is paid in early September and is made payable to the school financial aid office. The second check is paid to the student for the spring semester, once proof of enrollment with nine or more credit hours and minimum grade point average requirement are submitted.

In addition to the CRAEF scholarship, we encourage students to apply for other scholarships, including the National Restaurant Association Educational Foundation (NRAEF). The NRAEF scholarship application must be completed online at www.nraef.org/scholarships. The completed online form should be submitted with the required documentation and mailed to the NRAEF. Students who reside in Orange, Riverside or Los Angeles counties may also apply for the Norms Restaurants scholarship, which can be found at www.craef.org. Additional scholarship and educational resources are available online at www.craef.org.

Applicant qualifications

To qualify for a CRAEF scholarship, the applicant must:

  • be a U.S. citizen or permanent resident
  • be a California resident, although students may attend an out-of-state school
  • be enrolled in a minimum of nine credit hours at an accredited postsecondary school
  • have a minimum cumulative grade point average of 2.75 on a 4.0 scale
  • be enrolled or will enroll in two consecutive semesters or terms
  • have completed at least one grading term of a postsecondary program or be a high school senior going directly to a postsecondary school
  • satisfy the minimum hours of industry-related work experience, paid or voluntary:
    • 250 hours for high school students going into their freshmen year
    • 400 hours for college freshmen going into their sophomore year
    • 550 hours for students beyond sophomore year.

All work experience must be verified through paycheck stubs or a signed letter from employers. Do not send copies of a W-2.

Required documentation to be submitted with your signed application:

  • An essay, which must be typed and double-spaced.
  • A copy of the applicant’s program curriculum from a college catalog or website with the major or degree, the number of credit hours and all degree requirements shown.
  • A high school or college transcript. Transcripts don’t have to be a sealed official copy, but must be from the school.
  • Proof of the required restaurant and hospitality industry work experience as listed above. Proof can be given in the form of scanned paycheck stubs or a scanned letter from an employer verifying hours worked. Do not send copies of a W-2.                        
  • Two letters of recommendation from current or previous employers in the restaurant and hospitality industry.

Judging

CRAEF scholarships are competitive and awarded to qualified applicants based on an application, an essay, previous work experience and an interview. Top applicants will be selected for an interview with the CRAEF scholarship panel. Applicants will be judged on the following criteria:

  • Quality of the application, including spelling, grammar, content, etc.
  • Essay content, including quality of writing, word count, etc.
  • Industry-related experience
  • Personal interview

Notification

Applicants chosen for an interview will be notified four to six weeks after the scholarship deadline with further instructions on the location and time of the interview. Winning applicants will be contacted and provided with information on how to claim funding. CRAEF scholarship winners are chosen once per year and the scholarships are paid over two consecutive terms.

Deadlines

Undergraduate and high school senior deadline is April 15. All materials must be mailed to CRAEF and postmarked by the deadline date.

Awards

The first half of the scholarship is paid in early September and is made payable to the school financial aid office. The second check is paid to the student for the spring semester, once proof of enrollment with nine or more credit hours and minimum grade point average requirement are submitted.